1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the detection of radiation energy, and more particularly to the use of radiation sensitive sensors to detect physical phenomenon such as emergent forest fires.
2. Description of Related Art
With cities around the world becoming more severely congested and polluted, compounded by the high cost of living in urban areas, increasing numbers of the population are moving into the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) —those areas where forest and grasslands border residential development. The appeal of a rural setting and the privacy of a larger parcel of land provide an idyllic environment for many families.
However, as more families move into the WUI, there are an increased number of shared boundaries between population and wildland areas. This has resulted in an increased risk of wildfire that endangers structures and lives. This is due in part to more human activity near wildland areas which increases the chance of fire from human; carelessness or unavoidable accidents; fires started by natural causes, such as lightning; and aesthetic landscape preferences often place decorative, fuel rich trees and bushes in close proximity to structures.
Wildland firefighters were originally trained in conventional methods and practices of dealing with wildfires in which there were minimal structures and human habitation. However, much of the development in the WUI has been oriented toward the aesthetics of living in a forested area, and has not incorporated fire safety features in the design of the roads, water systems, structures or landscaping. For example, in order to preserve the natural environment, road systems leading to the homes are often narrow and present difficult access challenges for multiple large, public safety vehicles in the event of an emergency. In view of these circumstances, there is increased reliance on homeowners to take more responsibility for their personal safety and for the protection of their homes.
The changing role and level of risk of the firefighter in the growing WUI necessitates a rethinking of responsibilities for safety. The current trend is for the homeowner to take more responsibility for their safety by incorporating a defensible space around their dwellings. This includes using landscaping that reduces fire risk by virtue of its location as well its level of fire resistance.
Increasing homeowner responsibility also necessitates incorporating means for detecting and suppressing fires quickly when they occur. There are a number of gels and foam products that retard fires and can prevent them from burning down structures when applied properly. There are many substantiated instances in which a properly foamed or gelled home escaped being burned by a voracious wildfire as it moved through the WUI. However, successful protection of a structure in a wildfire, regardless of the suppression technique employed, requires proper advanced notice and preparation. In the case of unoccupied homes, such vacation homes, there are presently no effective means for providing the necessary advanced notification of a proximate wildfire. Thus, there is a need for a system and method of providing the detection of a wildfires which avoids the aforementioned problems.